Sanju Samson Likely To Replace Unwell Abhishek Sharma; Check India's Predicted Playing XI For T20 World Cup 2026 Clash vs Namibia

India will seek to make it two in two when they host Namibia in a Group A clash of the T20 World Cup 2026 on Thursday in Delhi. The defending champions survived a scare against the USA as captain Suryakumar Yadav's heroics proved just to be enough for the defending champions to start off with a convincing win. India's record in the shortest format speaks for themselves and the onus will be on the Men In Blue to keep their record intact.

Will Sanju Samson Feature Against Namibia?

Coming into the T20 World Cup, India have had a number of fitness concerns and already lost Harshit Rana due to an injury. Jasprit Bumrah missed out on a place in the team in the first game, while Abhishek Sharma didn't come out for fielding in the second innings, raising concerns over his availability in the next match. The swashbuckling opener had a tough start to his maiden T20 World Cup campaign and was dismissed for a golden duck against the USA.

Abhishek has been hospitalised for a stomach problem and the spotlight will be on Sanju Samson, who seems to have lost his opening place to Ishan Kishan. Samson's underwhelming form opened the door for Kishan, who grabbed the opportunities with both hands and has become Abhishek Sharma's preferred partner.

Delhi has been spinning paradise, and Samson will have to capitalise his powerplay hitting to grind out the most. His recent form hasn't been the best and he has averaged just 16.8 in T20IS since last year.

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Kuldeep Yadav Could Be A Major Factor In Delhi

With Bumrah also set to return, one of Mohammed Siraj or Arshdeep Singh needs to sit out. Kuldeep Yadav plies his trade for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL, and his familiarity with the Delhi surface might make him very handy against the opponent batters. Should the left-arm spinner get the nod, Shivam Dube is most likely to make way for him. The trio of Kuldeep, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy hold key to India's chances in the T20 World Cup going forward.

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